ORONO – Fourteen University of Maine students have been charged or are under investigation for drug trafficking or drug possession after a recent Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigation.

The four-month investigation has resulted in 10 people being charged with drug trafficking offenses and two with possession of cocaine. Three more people are expected to be charged in connection with the investigation.

All of the arrests took place in April, with the earliest taking place three weeks ago and the most recent one last Friday.

The investigation began on Jan. 2 when MDEA agents and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection officials arrested a New Jersey man in Houlton and charged him with possession of cocaine, according to a Maine Department of Public Safety press release.

The man told agents that he had purchased the cocaine from a UM student, the press release said.

Using that information, agents discovered a network of UM students who were selling cocaine and prescription stimulants.

“I wouldn’t suggest that they all knew each other, that it was an organized drug ring of that nature,” MDEA Director Roy McKinney said Tuesday in a phone interview. “It’s just that our investigation led from one person to another person.”

The prescription drug Adderall, generally prescribed for patients with attention deficit disorder, was found to be commonly used by students at the UM campus.

“The investigation revealed that the abuse of Adderall is common among UM students and that abusers and traffickers have researched the symptomology of ADD so they may obtain a prescription from a physician,” MDEA Commander Darrell Crandell said in Tuesday’s press release. “We are hopeful that these arrests will serve as a wake-up call. Adderall has a high rate of abuse as it has a stimulant effect on people that are not afflicted with ADD.”

The MDEA recently informed school officials, including the university’s president, of the investigation, UM Dean of Students Robert Dana said Tuesday.

He added that the UM Department of Public Safety has been cooperating with the MDEA and Orono and Old Town police for several weeks.

“This is not the place to do drugs or to deal drugs, and I think that these arrests demonstrate the fact that nobody’s turning the other cheek on these problems,” Dana said Tuesday during a telephone interview.

Two of the individuals, Charles Drew, 20, of Carlisle, Mass., and David Dow, 19, of Rumford, were indicted Monday by the Penobscot County grand jury. Each had two counts of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.

Defendants convicted of drug trafficking face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000 per count depending on their criminal records and the amount of drugs they sold.

William Savage, the assistant attorney general assigned to prosecute the cases, said Tuesday that more indictments are likely. The charges are felonies, he said.

Savage praised the “high level of cooperation between the MDEA and University of Maine officials.”

“These arrests should send the message that the university is not a safe haven for drug dealers,” he said.

Three additional suspects are under investigation, MDEA officials said Tuesday. “They have not been arrested as of yet,” McKinney said. “We’re looking for them.”

MDEA agents have some leads as to where the individuals are and have evidence that they’ve been selling drugs, but still are trying to locate the three suspects.

The following people have been charged, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. No hometowns were provided.

. Walter Fyler, 20, trafficking in cocaine in Old Town.

. Matthew Neves, 20, trafficking in Adderall at UM.

. Joseph Shaw, 20, trafficking in marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms at UM.

. David Dow, 19, trafficking in Adderall in Old Town.

. Charles Drew, 20, trafficking in Adderall at UM.

. Dan Jaffe, 20, trafficking in Adderall in Old Town.

. Amanda Maloney, 20, trafficking in Adderall in Old Town.

. Maggie Jennings, 21, trafficking in cocaine in Orono.

. Vincent Liu, 21, trafficking in Ecstasy at UM.

. Kate Stade, 19, trafficking in marijuana at UM.

. Nicholas Nadeau, 22, possession of cocaine in Old Town.

. Jesse L’Hereux, 21, possession of cocaine in Old Town.

All are UM students with the exception of Stade, according to the press release. Most of the students lived off campus, although some were living in university housing, Dana said.

Maine Department of Public Safety Director Stephen McCausland said some of the individuals have been arrested while others were issued summonses. Those who were arrested were taken to Penobscot County Jail, but McCausland wasn’t sure which of them have appeared in court.

In addition to facing legal charges, UM students likely will be disciplined by the university.

“Anytime there’s a significant conduct issue such as this … there will be a concurrent referral to the university conduct system,” Dana said.

The university’s code of conduct deals with all illegal behaviors, and sanctions extend up to and include suspension and dismissal, he said.

“We have a very careful on-campus approach to identifying problem behaviors, and we have an immediate protocol of interdiction when we know illegal behaviors are occurring,” Dana said.

He noted that the school has a substance abuse prevention program, an active police force, and an opiate task force in place to prevent and deal with drug use and offenses.

“We want to always send out the message that it’s not OK to do these behaviors here,” Dana said. “I’d much prefer to send a strong message that we have our eyes and ears open than to have to arrest students.”

– BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.